


Original Time Traveller

by NicholasFlamelFan



Series: Universal Vampire AU Series 1 [1]
Category: Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Broken Families, Classic Who Era, Developing Friendships, Esther's A+ Parenting, First Doctor Era, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mikael's A+ Parenting, Protective Siblings, Sentient TARDIS, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:08:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23548930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NicholasFlamelFan/pseuds/NicholasFlamelFan
Summary: Tyra was bored. There was no other way to describe it. She was so bored that she started to work as a teacher's assistant for History.It was certainly an experience that she won't repeat anytime soon but at least she got to know Susan Foreman, a girl who held as many secrets - if not more - as she did. Knowing Susan, led to new adventures in worlds that Tyra could only dream about.
Relationships: Barbara Wright & Original Character(s), Finn Mikaelson & Original Female Character(s), First Doctor & Original Character(s), Ian Chesterton & Original Female Character(s), Kol Mikaelson & Original Female Character(s), Susan Foreman & Original Character(s), The Doctor & Original Female Character(s)
Series: Universal Vampire AU Series 1 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1694848
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	1. 1: An Unearthly Child

When the bell rang to signal the end of classes, Tyra slumped against Ms Wright's desk, glad that it was over. They had been talking about America and the 'original' settlers and she had to hold back – a lot – to not speak up and correct her. This was the worst thing about being a Teacher's Assistant. She was there to help, not to correct the teacher and she had learned the hard way that Ms Wright didn't tolerate anyone correcting her. Of course, she could have taken care of that but where would be the fun in that?

"Will you be home tonight, Ty?" Laura asked.

Tyra shook her head and tried to ignore Ms Wright's reproachful look "Probably not. I'm not sure when I'll come around next. We'll see, alright?"

"Okay. I'll tell mum." Laura turned to hurry after her twin brother, smiling at Ms Wright "Night, Ms Wright."

Ms Wright looked after the students and held out her hand when Susan went to walk past her "Wait in here, please, Susan. I won't be long." She looked over at Tyra "Ms Mikaelson if you could stay with her. I want to talk to you later."

"Of course, Miss Wright," Tyra sighed, jumping onto the teacher's desk as soon as the older woman was gone.

Susan walked past Tyra, digging around in Ms Wright's desk for her pocket radio that the teacher had taken from her that morning before looking up with a teasing grin "You looked almost like you were in pain today, Tyra."

"You have no idea," she grimaced in response and jumped when Susan turned on the radio "Can you turn that down a little?"

"Oh, sorry," Susan exclaimed, turning down the radio before holding it up to her ear, dancing around the room "Hey, do you want to come with me today? I can wait until you're finished with Ms Wright."

Tyra tilted her head "I thought your grandfather was against it?"

Susan shrugged "What he doesn't know, doesn't hurt him and I wanted to talk to you about something I found in a book."

"You got me curious," Tyra murmured, looking at the younger girl "What book?"

"Wait and see," Susan smirked before the song changed and her expression lit up "Oh, I love this song."

Tyra let out a soft laugh at her antics "You're such a child." Susan shot her a look and stuck out her tongue.

"Susan?" Ms Wright called out from the door, drawing the attention of both girls. Tyra had heard them approaching but didn't react more that with an eye-roll. Of course, Ms Wright would go to Mr Chesterton.

Susan jumped and almost dropped the radio "Oh, I'm sorry, Ms Wright. I didn't hear you coming in. Aren't they fabulous?"

"Who?" Ms Wright frowned.

"It's John Smith and the Common Men," Susan explained "They've gone from nineteen to two."

Mr Chesterton nodded "John Smith is the stage name of the Honourable Aubrey Waites. He started his career as Chris Waites and the Carollers, didn't he, Susan?"

Susan blinked at the Science teacher with wide eyes "You are surprising, Mr Chesterton. I wouldn't expect you to know things like that."

"I have an enquiring mind," he pointed out and raised his hand to his ears "And a very sensitive ear."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Susan winced, turning off the radio immediately.

Ian inclined his head at her "Thank you."

Susan's eyes fell on the book in Ms Wright's hands "Is that the book you promised me?"

"Yes," Ms Wright nodded and handed it over.

"Thank you very much," Susan exclaimed, her eyes lighting up "It will be interesting. I'll return in tomorrow."

Ms Wright shook her head "Oh, that's not necessary. Keep it until you've finished it."

Susan shot her a dismissive look before looking down at the book again "I'll have finished it."

"Oh, where do you live, Susan?" Mr Chesterton asked "I'm giving Ms Wright a lift after she is done with Ms Mikaelson. I've got room for one more – two if you wish for me to drop you off as well." He said the last part to Tyra.

Susan shook her head "No, thank you, Mr Chesterton. I like walking through the dark. It's mysterious."

"Don't you know that there are things in the dark?" Tyra teased.

Ms Wright glared at her lightly "This isn't funny." She turned back to Susan and smiled "Be careful, Susan. There'll probably be fog again tonight."

"Mm," Susan nodded absentmindedly.

"See you in the morning," Ms Wright told her "Ms Mikaelson if you could."

Tyra sighed and jumped from the table "Right behind you, Ms Wright. See you, Susan."

"I'll wait here," Susan mumbled under her breath, quiet enough so that only Tyra could here. She froze for a millisecond before she continued walking after Ms Wright with Mr Chesterton bringing up the rear.

As soon as they were far enough away from the classroom, Ms Wright whirled around "I know that I told you this before but you seem to ignore me whenever you feel like it. You pulling faces in my lessons is disrespectful, as is your behaviour around some of the students."

"Excuse me?" Tyra asked in disbelief "I treat all the students the same during school hours. Yes, I know some of them personally and have known them since they were born but I am not treating them any differently because of that."

Ms Wright shook her head and crossed her arms "If it were for me, you wouldn't be a TA anymore."

"Yeah? Luckily it isn't up to you then, is it?" she replied sweetly.

"How dare…"

Mr Chesterton cut her off "Barbara. This isn't helping."

"You're right, Ian," Ms Wright sighed, her shoulders slumping.

Tyra rolled her eyes "Look, I get that you don't like me but I am good with History and kids. I don't necessarily care whether you and I get along or not but I would appreciate to be treated like an adult. I'm not a child you can give detention to."

Ms Wright blinked at her TA in surprise. It was the first time she had really spoken in a tone different from her usual sarcasm and Ms Wright wondered whether it was her fault… Did she really treat her like a student instead of the Teacher's Assistant she was? Yes. Yes, she did but it was hard to see Tyra as anything but a child. She looked so young sometimes. That reminded her that she didn't even know how old she was… What did she actually know about her TA apart from her name? She had looked at the file once but only skimmed it "I…"

Tyra shook her head and backed away from the teachers "I'll see you tomorrow, Ms Wright, Mr Chesterton."

"Goodnight, Ms Mikaelson," Mr Chesterton nodded, watching the girl walk towards the breakroom to grab her jacket. Once she was out of sight, he shook his head "What is your problem with the girl?"

Ms Wright shrugged helplessly "I don't know… She just – There's something weird about her."

"Like with Susan?" Mr Chesterton asked.

"A little," Ms Wright hummed "She looks so young but… Sometimes I think she is so much older than she looks. I can't explain it."

Mr Chesterton tilted his head "Hm. Maybe we have another mystery to figure out…"

Tyra peeked through the door, seeing Susan sit on one of the desks, looking through the book with a frown "I warned you," she grinned "That book is the worst if you want to actually know what happened."

"Do you know any books that are more accurate?" Susan asked "I mean, I know about the era but there is always something fascinating to read first-hand accounts."

"I do," Tyra nodded "And you're right. The books I know aren't published though. I might give them to you to read sometime."

Susan jumped from the desk "Oh, please, would you?"

Tyra inclined her head "Sure. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I suppose so," Susan sighed, stuffing the book into her bag with a sorrowful look. Tyra would never understand how Susan was so excited about… well, everything. There was something about her and the more time Tyra spent with her, it became more obvious. Whatever Susan was – she wasn't Human. The two hearts gave it away… Then again, Tyra was going to talk to her later and was ready to tell Susan about herself in return.

The two girls walked through the darkening streets of London, weaving in and out of the fog. Tyra raised her eyebrow when she caught sight of a very familiar car but kept quiet about it for now. She looked around with a blink "And we're standing in front of a junkyard… Why?"

Susan didn't answer. She just kept glancing over her shoulder before she grinned and opened the door "Follow me. You'll love this part."

"Am I?" Tyra asked, following Susan into the shack. Her curiosity was piqued and if there were many things that could actually kill her, maybe she'd be more careful. No risk, no fun. Susan closed the door behind her and walked straight into the police box that was standing against the wall directly to the right. Tyra looked around cautiously and followed her when she didn't return "This is…" Tyra trailed off, her eyes drinking in the sight of the futuristic interior "Amazing. How does it work?"

"You're taking this surprisingly well," Susan murmured in surprise.

"Eh," Tyra shrugged "I have seen a lot of things in life. This barely rated on the scale although it really is neat."

Susan's lips twitched "It's a Tardis. That's Time and Relative Dimension in Space."

Tyra hummed "What exactly does that mean? Is this another dimension – like a pocket dimension? Is that how it's smaller on the outside?"

"You better ask grandfather that," Susan grinned "He'll take a liking to you."

"I'm sure," Tyra snorted before a thought crossed her mind "What was that book you wanted to talk about anyway?"

Susan straightened up and hurried over to a small desk on the other side of the room "Oh, right. Yes, here." She leafed through the pages quickly until she reached a specific chapter "'The Mikaelsons – Tale of the Original family'"

"What?" Tyra gasped, hurrying over to Susan. She might have moved a little faster than she should have but if Susan already knew anyway… "This is… unsettling."

Susan raised her eyebrows "How so?"

"Is the whole book handwritten?" Tyra asked instead.

"Yes," Susan nodded "It was pieced together by many sources of knowledge. Why do you ask?"

Tyra stared at the pages before she shook her head "Because I seem to have written that. And I know for a fact that I did not write that. Although I do know that picture. It's something my older brother painted."

Susan winced "Ah, yes. About that…" Her head snapped to the side when she heard a noise at the door "That will be grandfather." She hurried over to the door "There you are, grandfather." When nothing happened for another minute, Susan frowned "What are you doing out there?"

"He isn't alone," Tyra pointed out, coughing back a laugh at the commotion outside.

"What do you mean? Who is with him?" Susan asked, sounding a little scared.

Tyra put her hand on the girl's shoulder "Ms Wright and Mr Chesterton followed us here," she explained "They have been watching us as soon as we reached the junkyard."

"Why haven't you said anything?" Susan demanded.

"Honestly? I wanted to see what they would do," Tyra grinned sheepishly.

Suddenly, the door opened and Ms Wright barged in. She froze as soon as the interior of the room registered. An old man – Susan's grandfather most likely – pushed past her with Mr Chesterton hot on his heels.

"Close the door, Susan," the old man commanded, narrowing his eyes on Tyra for a moment before he turned back to his granddaughter. Susan nodded and did as he asked quietly, throwing Tyra an apologetical look "I believe these people are known to you?"

Susan nodded and bit her lip "They're two of my schoolteachers." She glared at the two adults in annoyance "What are you doing here?"

"Where are we?" Ms Wright breathed, looking around with wide eyes.

Susan's grandfather raised his eyebrows "They must have followed you. That ridiculous school. I knew something like this would happen if we stayed in one place too long."

"Don't I know," Tyra mumbled, shaking her head. She had been here for almost a year already and it was time for her to move on again. The last thing she needed was her siblings finding her.

There was a reason she ran away from them and if she was honest with herself, she couldn't be happier being away from them. Since she heard that Niklaus had daggered Kol pretty quickly after undaggering them both, she knew she made the right choice. The only siblings who still cared about her were Finn and Kol… It had been just the three of them since Henrik died… Thinking about him still hurt but it wasn't as bad as it had been a thousand years ago.

Susan looked from her grandfather to Tyra and back "But why should they follow me?"

"Because you're a mystery," Tyra spoke up, drawing the attention of the room "There is something off about you, Susan. Not that I can talk but you don't really blend in all that well."

The old man narrowed his eyes "And who are you, then? Why did you bring someone here, Susan?"

"I…"

Tyra picked the book from the table with the page still open and handed it to the old man, tapping her finger on the picture "Hello."

"You… Huh," the man mumbled "Interesting. Very, very interesting."

"Thank you…?" Tyra asked, tilting her head unsurely "Sorry, what's your name?"

The old man studied her for a moment before he looked back at the book "I'm the Doctor."

"Tyra," she replied automatically, not even commenting on the weird name. It was none of her business and if he said it was his name, it probably was "Nice to meet you."

Ms Wright blinked rapidly, trying to get her thoughts back under control "Is this really where you live, Susan?"

"Yes," the girl nodded.

"And what's wrong with it?" the old man narrowed his eyes.

Mr Chesterton scratched his head "But it was just a telephone box."

The Doctor rolled his eyes at the man "Perhaps."

"And this is your grandfather?" The disdain in Ms Wright's tone was obvious, causing Tyra to snort. Well, it seems like there was someone she liked less than her which did surprise her to an extent. Ms Wright crossed her arms "But why didn't you tell us that?"

"I don't discuss my private life with strangers."

Mr Chesterton started pacing before stopping right in front of the Doctor "But it was a police telephone box. I walked all around it." He whirled around to face Ms Wright "Barbara, you saw me."

"You don't deserve any explanations," the Doctor scoffed "You pushed your way in here uninvited and unwelcome."

Tyra ran her hand along the console, feeling a pleasant hum reverberating through the back of her mind. A small smile flashed across her face "Is it like a pocket dimension? Like a dimension that exists outside of our own but there is a way to access it like through a doorway."

Mr Chesterton snorted "Now, don't be ridiculous. There is no such thing as…"

"That is – accurate," the Doctor inclined his head "How do you know so much about this?"

Tyra shrugged sheepishly "Ah… A friend of mine went through a bit of a hard time a couple of years back and I used to tell him stories. I didn't know that it actually existed but it does make sense… Like for example, I think that there is a possibility that multiple universes exist parallel. Of course, I could be wrong but the theory alone and the idea of it all seems fascinating."

The Doctor looked at Susan in surprise "Where did you pick this one up? I like her."

Ms Wright cleared her throat before anyone could say anything else "I think we ought to leave…" She gestured for Tyra to follow her "Ms Mikaelson."

"No, just a minute," Mr Chesterton spoke up and pointed to Tyra "I know what she is saying is absurd but I feel…"

Tyra scooted up to Susan "Oh, this is going to be good," she whispered, keeping her eyes on both the Science teacher and the Doctor.

"You're enjoying this way too much," Susan exclaimed quietly, trying to suppress the laughter that threatened to burst from her lips at Tyra's excited expression.

"I like chaos," she shrugged, not sounding sorry at all "And this – This is going to be great."

The Doctor was frowning up at an ornate clock "It's stopped again, you know, and I've tried…" he mumbled to himself before realising that someone had spoken "Hm? Oh, you wouldn't understand."

"But I want to understand," Mr Chesterton huffed, sounding rather like a petulant teen than an adult.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. You want to understand and yet you refuse to believe the answer," the Doctor shook his head, his voice slow and steady "By the way, Susan, I managed to find a replacement for that faulty filament. It's an amateur job but I think it'll serve."

"It's an illusion, it must be," Mr Chesterton concluded.

Tyra rolled her eyes but chose not to comment. The Doctor, though, had no such qualms "You don't understand, so you find excuses. Illusions, indeed? You say you can't fit an enormous building into one of your smaller sitting rooms."

"No," Mr Chesterton shot back, crossing his arms.

The Doctor smiled at him as if he were a child "But you've discovered television, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"Then by showing an enormous building on your television screen, you can do what seems impossible, couldn't you?" the Doctor finished.

Mr Chesterton looked frustrated as he spoke up "Well, yes. But I still don't know…"

"Not quite clear, is it?" the Doctor mocked "I can see by your face that you're not certain. You don't understand and I knew you wouldn't." He tilted his head at Tyra "You were pretty close in your assumption… For someone from the 20th century, that is. Do you know how the principle is similar to television?"

Tyra frowned "I…"

"You have a large building inside a smaller box, correct?" the Doctor questioned.

"Yes… But then you can't interact with it," Tyra pointed out "While you can see it, there is no way to go into the television. This, though, you can step inside and back outside…"

The Doctor's eyes showed the approval he wouldn't speak out loud and nodded "I certainly do like you." His eyes shot to the two teachers when Mr Chesterton let out a strangled noise "The point is not whether you understand. What is going to happen to you, hmm?" He ran a hand along the console, speaking more to himself than to anyone else "They'll tell everybody about the ship now."

"Ship?" Mr Chesterton questioned with a raised brow.

"Yes, yes, ship," the Doctor rolled his eyes impatiently "This doesn't roll along on wheels, you know."

Ms Wright gaped "You mean it moves?"

"The Tardis can go anywhere," Susan spoke up, looking at the scene with a hint of fear. She knew what her grandfather was planning and she didn't like it one bit but there was nothing she could do.

"Tardis?" Ms Wright echoed "I don't understand you, Susan."

"Well, I made up the name Tardis from the initials," Susan explained "Time and Relative Dimension in Space. I thought you'd both understand when you saw the different dimensions inside from those outside. Tyra did."

Mr Chesterton ran a hand over his face "Just let me get this straight. A thing that looks like a police box, standing in a junkyard… It can move anywhere in time and space?"

"That's what the name implies," Tyra shrugged before her head snapped up "Wait, everywhere?"

"Quite so," the Doctor nodded.

Mr Chesterton scoffed "But that's ridiculous."

"Why won't they believe us?" Susan whispered, almost tearfully.

Ms Wright raised her eyebrows "How can we?"

The Doctor patted his granddaughter's shoulder "Now, now, don't get exasperated, Susan. Remember the Red Indian. When he saw the first steam train, his savage mind thought it an illusion too."

"You're treating us like children," Mr Chesterton exclaimed.

"Am I?" the Doctor asked innocently "The children of my civilisation would be insulted.

Mr Chesterton froze "Your civilisation?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes "Yes, my civilisation. I tolerate this century but I don't enjoy it. Have you ever thought what it's like to be wanderers in the fourth dimension? Have you? To be exiles? Susan and I are cut off from our own planet, without friends or protection. But one day we shall get back. Yes, one day. One day."

"It's true. Every word of it's true. You don't know what you've done coming in here. Grandfather, let them go now, please," Susan pleaded "Look if they don't understand, they can't – they can't hurt us at all. I understand these people better than you. Their minds reject things they don't understand."

"How can you believe them," Ms Wright whispered, staring at Tyra.

Tyra smirked at her "There are things in the dark, Ms Wright," she pointed out "Dark things… Things that are beyond your imagination and those are things from Earth. I have no doubt that there is much to see out there… beyond the stars."

Mr Chesterton let out a groan "Oh, come on, Barbara. Let's get out of here."

"It's no use," Susan shook her head "You can't get out. He won't let you go."

"He closed the doors from over there," Mr Chesterton pointed out, hurrying over to the console "I saw him. Now, which is it? Which is it? Which control operates the door?"

The Doctor sighed tiredly "You still think it's all an illusion?"

"I know that free movement in time and space is a scientific dream I don't expect to find solved in a junkyard," Mr Chesterton snapped.

"Your arrogance is nearly as great as your ignorance," the Doctor muttered.

Mr Chesterton ignored him "Will you open the door? Open the door! Susan, will you help us?"

Tyra ran a hand through her hair and smirked up at the Doctor "When do you think they'll realise that you won't let them go?"

"I'm waiting to find out," the Doctor laughed lightly.

"I could make them forget, you know," she pointed out.

The Doctor shook his head "No, it's alright. They forced their way in here and wanted to understand… So I'll make them understand."

Tyra shrugged "The offer is there if you need it." She hesitated for a moment "What about me?"

"What about you?" he asked "I assumed you would come along?"

"I want to… I really do but –" she broke off and shook her head "No, it's fine… The further I'm away the better."

The Doctor's hand came up to rest on the girl's shoulder "What are you running from, dear?"

"What makes you think I'm running from something?" Tyra asked.

"It takes one to know one," the Doctor shrugged, glancing at the teachers when he heard a shout.

Ms Wright fell to her knees next to her colleague "Ian. What on Earth do you think you're doing?"

Susan shook her head and looked up at her grandfather with swimming eyes "Grandfather, let them go now, please."

"And by tomorrow we shall be a public spectacle, a subject for news and idle gossip," the Doctor spat.

"But they won't say anything," Susan whispered.

The Doctor smiled at her sadly "My dear child, of course, they will. Put yourself in their place. They are bound to make some sort of complaint to the authorities or at the very least talk to their friends. If I do let them go, Susan, you realise of course we must go too."

"No, grandfather," Susan exclaimed "We've had all this out before."

"There is no alternative, child," the Doctor shook his head.

Susan dropped her head "I want to stay. They're both kind people. Why won't you trust them? All you've got to do is ask them to promise to keep our secret."

The Doctor's eyes hardened along with his tone "It's out of the question."

"I won't go, grandfather," Susan argued "I won't leave the twentieth century. I'd rather leave the Tardis and you."

"Now you're being sentimental and childish," the Doctor chided but his eyes spoke of the hurt he was feeling. The thought that Susan would leave him to be with Humans was something he didn't understand – couldn't understand.

Susan stood her place firmly "No, I mean it."

The Doctor closed his eyes for a moment before he shrugged "Very well. Then you must go with them. I'll open the door."

Ms Wright's shoulders dropped in relief and held out a hand for Susan "Are you coming, Susan?"

The Doctor suddenly flipped a couple of switches that sent the rotor moving "No, grandfather, no," Susan shouted desperately.

"Get back to the ship, children. Hold on!" The Doctor told Susan and Tyra, making them cling to the console as the teachers were thrown around until they both fainted.

* * *

Barbara looked around in confusion when she came to and startled when she saw Ian lying on the ground "Ian?" she hissed, shaking his shoulder "Ian."

Ian let out a low groan "I'm alright," he mumbled, rubbing at his head "I must have hit my head. The movement's stopped."

"The base is steady," Susan pointed out, looking over the instruments on the console.

Tyra frowned at her and blinked at all the equipment she didn't know "How do you know?"

"Layers of sand, rock formation," the Doctor nodded, studying the image on the screen.

Susan caught Tyra's attention, gesturing to a couple of displays "This shows what we landed on. The others are readings like radiation, oxygen levels and such." She turned to look at her grandfather "We've left 1963."

"Oh, yes," the Doctor nodded, obviously pleased with himself "Undoubtedly. I'll be able to tell you where presently." He frowned at one of the displays and tapped it in confusion "Zero? That's not right… I'm afraid the yearometer is not calculating properly. Hm." He shrugged to himself "Well, anyway, the journey's finished." The Doctor was about to walk to the doors when he noticed the man still on the ground "What are you doing down there?"

Barbara stared at the Doctor with fear in her eyes "What have you done?"

"Barbara, you don't believe all this nonsense," Ian exclaimed.

Susan took a step forward "Well, look at the scanner scan," she gestured, pointing to the monitor on the far wall. The same monitor the Doctor had been studying earlier.

"Don't bother, Susan," Tyra shook her head "They're not going to believe it. Not now in any case."

"Yes," the Doctor agreed and jerked his head to the monitor "Look up there." He shook his head in amusement "They don't understand and I suspect they don't want to. Well, there you are. A new world for you."

Ian raised his eyebrows, less than impressed by what he was seeing "Sand and rock?"

The Doctor shrugged "Yes, that's the immediate view outside the ship."

"But where are we?" Barbara asked.

"You mean that's what we'll see when we go outside?" Ian cut her off, narrowing his eyes at the monitor. He didn't – no, couldn't – believe it. There was no way this box or whatever it was could move through time and space. A box couldn't move at all. Neither could it be bigger on the inside. This was all a nightmare. Just a bad dream and soon he would wake up and be back in his house.

Susan nodded enthusiastically "Yes, you'll see for yourself."

Tyra rolled her eyes when Ian shook his head "I don't believe it."

"Of course, you don't," she muttered. Then again, she was a little unsure. While she believed the Doctor and Susan – the fact that they had two hearts proved that at the very least they weren't human – there was a part of her who thought that this was too good to be true.

"You really are a stubborn young man, aren't you?" the Doctor asked, sounding annoyed.

Ian huffed and crossed his arms "Alright, show me some proof. Give me some concrete evidence." He grimaced at Susan apologetically "I'm sorry, Susan, I don't want to hurt you but it's time you were brought back to reality."

"Aren't you the model of nice?" Tyra snarked.

"I don't understand how you could believe any of this. You obviously know your science. I have seen that," Ian rounded on her.

Tyra leaned against the console and shot him a smirk "Well, there are things that go bump in the night. Even in your time, on Earth. Why shouldn't I believe in time and space travel unless proven to be fake? I have seen things you wouldn't believe, lived through things you wouldn't believe…"

"You're just as bad," Barbara shook her head, glaring at her TA "You talk as if you were older than twenty years. Don't be ridiculous… As soon as we're back, I'll see that the Headmaster gets rid of you."

Tyra rubbed at her head "Go right ahead. While I would bet that I could change his mind and yours… It's not worth the effort. You're not worth fighting with because honestly? I know you're wrong. These two know you're wrong." She gestured to Susan and the Doctor "The rest is really none of my business… Nor do I care if I'm honest."

"While that is all well and good," the Doctor cleared his throat, placing a hand on Tyra's shoulder to get her to take a step to the side. He raised his eyebrow at Ian "What concrete evidence would satisfy you?"

Ian shot the other man an exasperated look "Just open the doors, Doctor Foreman."

"Eh?" the Doctor blinked at the name "Doctor who? What is he talking about?"

"People have to have last names, Doctor," Tyra pointed out with a grin "After all, it is somewhat unusual for a person to be called 'the Doctor'. Not that I can talk. We only really adopted last names after a couple of… centuries when the trend became popular. And even now, I can do without having to deal with bearing my father's name."

"Ah, yes, yes," the Doctor hummed "I believe I have heard of him. His name is Mikael, is it not?"

Tyra grimaced "Yes. How have you heard of him?"

"The book," he gestured "Or well, no. Not that one specifically. There are a lot of books that talk about your family and even Mikael in some instances. He isn't very favoured in those books as far as I remember."

"Yeah? I would be surprised if he were," she snorted "None of us favour him… If I never see him again it'll be too soon."

The Doctor mustered her curiously "If you don't mind me asking, my dear… There are a lot of theories of the creation of your kind but nothing concrete. Would you be willing to answer a couple of my questions on that matter?"

Tyra bit her lip hesitatingly "I don't… I don't really like talking about it."

"What are you talking about?" Barbara exclaimed "'Your kind'? Human?"

"None of your business," Tyra snapped, glaring at the stuck-up teacher. She was starting to get annoyed by the woman and if she didn't change and soon, Tyra wasn't sure what she would do.

Ian looked between all of them before throwing his hands up in exasperation "Are you going to open the doors or aren't you?"

"No," the Doctor told him firmly.

"You see?" Ian exclaimed, gesturing to the man as if it was proving his point.

The Doctor shook his head "Not until I'm quite sure it's safe to do so." He studied some more equipment and hummed "Well, yes, good. Yes, it is, it's good." He looked up at Susan "You've got the radiation counter there. What's it read?"

"It's reading normal, grandfather," Susan explained.

"Splendid, splendid," the Doctor smiled "Well, I think I'll take my Geiger counter with me in any case. So, you still challenge me, young man?"

Ian sighed in exasperation "Well, just open the doors and prove your point."

"You're so narrow-minded, aren't you?" the Doctor scoffed "Don't be so insular."

Susan nudged Tyra with a small grin "Grandfather, do you know where we are?"

"Yes, we've gone back in time, alright," the Doctor told her "One or two samples and I shall be able to make an estimate. With rock pieces and a few plants… But I do wish this wouldn't keep letting me down." He knocked on the glass with a hint of annoyance "However, we can go out now."

Ian held out his hand, stopping the Doctor "Just a minute. You say we've gone back in time?"

"Yes, quite so," the Doctor nodded.

"So that when we go out of that door, we won't be in a junkyard in London in England in the year 1963?" Ian questioned sceptically.

The Doctor shrugged "That is quite correct. But your tone suggests ridicule."

"But it is ridiculous," Ian huffed "Time doesn't go round and round in circles. You can't get on and off whenever you like in the past or future."

Tyra blinked "Why not? I mean… Technically…"

"Continue," the Doctor urged, looking at her curiously. He was intrigued by the way her mind worked and her understanding of physics – whether they were theories she had heard or believed and thought about – was surprising for someone from the 1960s. Then again, Tyra had seen a lot over her life, so why wouldn't she know more about that sort of stuff.

"Well, I don't know. This is just what I thought up and it might be completely wrong but time is an illusion. It has to be. Sometimes a minute feels like an hour and other times the day is over almost before you feel like it began, right? So… It feels like you're travelling from one time to the next but it all just depends on the observer. I think that's why Susan once told Mr Chesterton that there are four dimensions. Time… How did Einstein describe it? Space is described as a three-dimensional area, correct? That's where you get your coordinates, so your location. If you add time, then that provides another part… Direction. Time slows down or speeds up depending on how fast you move relative to something else."

Ian looked at her in bewilderment "That's ridiculous. There is no fourth dimension."

"How do you know so much about that stuff?" Barbara asked, narrowing her eyes on Tyra.

"Because I'm interested in it," Tyra shrugged "And I was bored."

Susan snorted "You were bored, so you looked into – what? – dimensional science?"

Tyra grinned "Why not? It's really quite fascinating."

"Do show her the library at some point," the Doctor whispered to Susan "I believe she would like that."

"Library?" Tyra perked up.

The Doctor hummed "A rather large library if I do say so myself."

"If we could get a move on now?" Ian cleared his throat. He didn't believe this Doctor and with how long the man was drawing this out, his doubt grew. If he was so sure they had travelled through time, why didn't he just open those doors?

The Doctor shot him a look "If you could touch the alien sand and hear the cries of strange birds and watch them wheel in another sky, would that satisfy you?"

"Yes."

"Now, see for yourself," the Doctor waved his hand, opening the door to reveal the exact scene they could see on the monitor.

Ian shook his head "It's not true," he whispered to himself "It can't be."

Susan blinked "That's not on the screen."

"Well, I've no more time to argue with you," the Doctor shrugged, pushing past the two teachers "I must get some samples, Susan."

Tyra looked up at him "Can I come?"

"I prefer to work alone," the Doctor told her, stopping a couple of steps later.

"Hm. Do you mind if I… I don't know, wander around? I have never been as far back," Tyra spoke up, her curiosity becoming obvious as she followed the man regardless. She stopped next to Susan, touching her hand "Are you okay with them?"

Susan nodded and smiled "Be careful, grandfather."

Tyra followed the Doctor a little away from the Tardis where the others slowly exited after them. The Doctor looked at the Tardis, worry written all over his face "It's still a police box. Why hasn't it changed? Dear, dear, how very disturbing."

"You mean that your box… the Tardis can change her exterior?" Tyra called out from where she was standing, eyeing the box with wide eyes while the Doctor leaned down to collect his rock samples. When he didn't answer, she shook her head and made her way further away from them. It was all so barren… Not unlike the way everything had been when she was human and yet so different.

Her investigation of the area led her over to a stream not too far off from where the Tardis was. She knelt down and reached out her hand to trail through the crystal-clear water. It's been quite a couple of centuries since she saw water that pure outside of the mountains. A part of her would always miss the quietness of the world when she was born. No cars, no planes, nothing but people and not even many of those at first. As she continued walking, she trailed her hand over any and every plant and rock she found. It was fascinating how similar and yet different they were from what she knew.

Tyra's head snapped around when she heard a growl behind her. She had been so lost in thoughts that she hadn't heard whatever had snuck up on her "Now, what are you?" she hummed, studying the creature curiously. When it turned its head to face her, she blinked "Ooh. Sabretooth. Nice."

The tiger hissed at her, showing his long teeth.

Tyra rolled her eyes "Is that supposed to scare me?" she asked, looking at the tiger in amusement. Should she…? It might be fun and she was interested in seeing how strong a sabretooth tiger was. Especially since she read quite a bit about then. She crouched down, letting her eyes bleed red "Show me what you can."

The sabretooth tiger lunged forward, intent on sinking its teeth into the girl's neck. Tyra feinted to the side easily, avoiding the teeth. The tiger blinked and shook its head, whirling around to try again.

"Eh, this is boring," Tyra groaned, pouncing on the sabretooth tiger, easily pinning it to the ground. She clamped her teeth around its neck, ready to bite down and kill it when she stopped. She looked at the limp tiger and sighed, petting its head lightly "You're kind of cute… You know, in a deadly and dangerous kind of way."

" _Grandfather,_ " a voice echoed through the silence.

Tyra looked over her shoulder back the way she came when she heard Susan's voice "More trouble," she sighed and got off the tiger. If it attacked, it would die. If not… Who was she to argue? She took off towards where the voice had come from and froze, turning around to see the tiger following her "What?"

The tiger tilted its head and hissed at her and jerked its head to the side, its eyes darting around.

"No, seriously… What is going on?" she asked, walking backwards a couple of steps only for the tiger to follow her "This is incredibly uncomfortable. Kol would get a kick out of that." She let out a small sigh, a sad smile crossing her face at the thought of her brother.

She missed him. Always had and always will. She would love nothing more than to find him and undagger him and Finn both but she couldn't. Niklaus would know the moment she was close. Oh, she knew that he had people looking for her and was following her whenever he could to find her. Both him and Elijah but she didn't care. She wanted nothing to do with either of them anymore.

"You heard that too, don't you?" Tyra asked quietly, crouching down behind a stone as the tiger ran off towards a couple of tree stumps. She watched it go for a moment before she turned back to the noise. As soon as she saw what was happening, she let out a breath "Doctor."

The old man looked unconscious as he was being dragged along by his arm. Her eyes narrowed on the man dragging him and was ready to step in when the sabretooth tiger returned, whining at her. It hurried away before stopping, looking back at her before running at her.

Tyra bit her lip, looking from the tiger to the Doctor and back "I…" She shook her head and moved away from her cover, sneaking after the man who was dragging the Doctor along.

The tiger hissed at her and snapped at her heels lightly. Tyra flicked it on the nose, somewhat perplexed at its behaviour. She had no idea what the tiger wanted from her but she had to find out where they were taking the Doctor. After that, she could worry about the tiger trying to get her attention.

It wasn't long until she spotted the opening to a cave. Tyra looked around, trying to remember as much of the area as possible before she turned to face the tiger "Now, what do you want?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder to see another man grabbing the Doctor, throwing him over his shoulder. She clenched her teeth, thinking of whether to interfere now but she didn't know how many there were inside the cave and if she was being honest, she didn't want to risk it at the moment. They took the Doctor for a reason and she doubted that they would harm him because whatever that reason was – they needed him. That and she could hear the other three not too far behind her.

After another moment of hesitation, Tyra gave into her curiosity and turned to follow the sabretooth to wherever it was trying to take her.

* * *

Ian fought against the ropes, looking around "Are you alright?" he asked the others "Did they hurt you?"

Barbara shook her head "No. Ian, I'm frightened."

"Try and hang on," he whispered, nudging her with his hands.

"But how are we going to get out of this?" Barbara asked, slumping in defeat.

Susan looked over at her "You forget that Tyra is still out there."

"And what can she do, Susan?" Barbara demanded.

The Doctor sighed at their nattering "We should use out cunning. I hope you can get free, Chesterton. I can't." He grimaced "The stench in here… The Stench." He sighed, staring at his knees "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I'm desperately sorry."

Susan leaned against him lightly "Oh, don't blame yourself, grandfather."

"Look at that," he exclaimed, gesturing to all the skulls around them "Look at it."

Ian studied them curiously, seeing what the Doctor had meant "They're all the same," he realised "They've been split wide open."

"I've found another piece with a rough edge," Susan called out as the group tried to free themselves.

Ian took it from her with a smile "Thank you." He leaned down and started sawing at Barbara's bindings before throwing it down "It's no good, it keeps crumbling."

The Doctor dropped his head "It's hopeless, hopeless. Even if we do get free, we shall never move that stone."

"Grandfather, don't forget about Tyra," Susan told him.

"But how is she going to find us?" he asked her "Even if she is still out there…"

Susan sighed "She will find us. I'm sure of it."

"There is air coming in here from somewhere," Ian pointed out, ignoring their talk about Tyra. She wouldn't be strong enough to move the stone without any help and the most that would happen was that she would be locked in along with them.

Barbara nodded excitedly "Yes, there is. I can feel it on my face."

"It may only be a small opening," Ian pointed out, unwilling to crush their hopes but he had to say it "Don't count on it."

The Doctor snorted "Well, you obviously are."

"Of course, I am," Ian snapped "Any hope is better than none." He glared at the Doctor "Don't just lie there criticising us. Do something. Help us all to get out of here." With a defeated curse, he dropped the stone "Oh, this stone's no good."

Barbara grabbed at his hand "Well, don't give up, Ian please."

"Oh, alright," Ian sighed.

The Doctor shook his head when the other man went to pick the stone back up "No, no, don't waste time. Try those bones, they may be… They're sharper, perhaps."

"That's a good idea," Ian murmured and did as the Doctor said.

Susan grinned at the Doctor happily "Grandfather, I knew you'd think of something."

"We must all take it in turns and try and cut his hands free," the Doctor pointed out, gesturing to Ian.

"Surely we should get the girls free?" Ian asked, tilting his head in confusion.

The Doctor shook his head "No, no, we've got to free you first. You're the strongest and you may have to defend us." He let out a groan "I really shouldn't have let Tyra wander off. We could have used her."

"There you go again, talking about her," Barbara shook her head "I don't understand."

The Doctor looked up from trying to saw at the rope around Ian's hands "You don't have to. This isn't my story to tell. You may find out what I am talking about or you may not."

"You know something," Ian noted "How do you know Tyra? It didn't seem as if she knew you."

"She didn't," Susan cut in "But…"

"Child," the Doctor interrupted, not wanting his granddaughter to spill Tyra's secret. From the way the two teachers were acting towards her, he doubted she would want them to know. And even if she was alright with it, it wasn't their story to tell. He looked down when the bone in his hands slipped and sighed at his shaky hands "Susan, you have a go. My arms are tired."

Susan nodded, taking his place in front of Ian "Alright."

The Doctor hummed, looking over at Barbara "And don't think of failing," he advised.

"What?" Barbara asked, looking at the old man incredulously.

"Well, try and remember," the Doctor corrected himself "If you can, how you and the others found your way here. Concentrate on that please."

"Yes, yes, I'll try," Barbara nodded before looking at the Doctor with wide eyes "You're trying to help me."

The Doctor raised his shoulders "Fear makes companions of all of us. That's right."

Barbara bit her lip "I never thought once you were afraid."

"Fear is with all of us," the Doctor murmured "And always will be. Just like that other sensation that lives with it."

"What's that?" Barbara asked curiously.

The Doctor's lips twitched "Your companion referred to it. Hope." When she raised her eyebrows "Hope, that's right."

* * *

"Where are you taking me?" Tyra asked the tiger, running through the forest after it. They had been going for a while already and she wondered where this was going "Why am I asking a sabretooth questions? Not like it can answer…"

Tyra could hear noises even before the sabretooth stopped and ducked down underneath a fallen tree. She followed it, seeing three cubs trapped underneath the fallen tree "Oh, this can't be good," she breathed when only two of them moved immediately. She watched the adult sabretooth that led her here "Okay, definitely the mother."

The fully-grown tiger tried to squeeze underneath the tree to get to its babies, making Tyra bite her lip. She reached out to touch the tiger's flank, pulling it away. It was a tight fit but she shrugged off her sweatshirt, crawling underneath the tree as much as she could, wrapping the babies up. She didn't have a lot of space to work with, so her only chance was to break out the part of the tree that was directly above the cubs.

"Okay," she spoke up, her voice soft and as calm as she could keep it. It was mostly for her benefit but the tigers still relaxed at her voice "Okay, I need you all to stay calm. I'm sorry about this."

Tyra kicked the tree, a loud crack ringing through the small underground cave. The cubs let out frightened yelps, causing their mother to try and squeeze herself closer to them "I need you to get back again," she sighed, poking the mother sabretooth in the side "One more and you'll have your babies back. I promise."

Once the mother tiger was safely out of the way, Tyra studied her target for a moment, trying to figure out where to kick without hurting the cubs. She lashed out and immediately launched forward to stop the wood from falling on the unconscious cub. With one hand, she scooped the cubs up one by one, setting them down near their mother while she pressed the wood against the far wall of the cave. The rest of the tree creaked loudly, a bit of the ceiling raining down on them "Shit," Tyra cursed "Get out." Tyra threw her arm at the mother sabretooth, making it back away from her "I'll get the baby. Just get out."

One long look later, more of the ceiling broke, causing the three able tigers to scramble away. Tyra listened closely and waited until they were far enough away before she scooped up the injured cub and flashed outside just as the ceiling caved in, completely burying their den.

* * *

They had worked in silence for a while before the old woman from the tribe broke through some brush into the cave, causing Susan to jump back with a scream "You will not make fire," the woman hissed at them "I will set you free if you will go away and not make fire. Fire will bring trouble and death to the tribe."

"There will be no fire," the Doctor assured her.

The old woman nodded and gestured for them to follow her "Hurry, hurry," she urged and pointed in another direction "You must go across the tuft and into the threes."

"Yes," Ian breathed as he and the others hurriedly made their way in the direction she had pointed them.

Barbara moved to the forefront of the group as soon as they reached the forest with Susan behind her and the Doctor trying to keep up with all of them.

"Stop," he panted "Just a minute, let me get my…"

"We can't stop here," Ian pointed out, looking at the old man unsurely.

The Doctor nodded "Just a moment."

Ian bit his lip "Look, we've got to go further on."

"I know," the Doctor snapped "I know that. But I must get… Breathe. I must breathe."

"Try," Ian told him, steadying him "Try or I shall have to carry you."

The Doctor shook his head "There's no need for that. Don't be so childish. I'm not senile. Just let me get my breath for a moment."

Susan looked back at him and her face set into an expression of worry "Oh, grandfather, come on."

"Yes," he grumbled, moving with her "I'm not so young, you know."

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Barbara asked Ian, looking around unsurely.

Ian nodded "Yes, I think so."

"I can't remember," Barbara cried out quietly "I simply can't remember."

"We're free, Barbara," Ian told her, pulling her close "Think about that. Free."

Barbara nodded and took a couple of deep breaths "Yes. Yes." She startled when she heard something not too far from them "Hurry, we must go on."

Susan looked around, helping the Doctor along "I'm sure I remember this place. But we didn't come round it, we went across it."

"Yes, there was a sort of trail," Barbara agreed.

Ian looked around "If that's true, we must be quite near the ship." He looked at the Doctor, his forehead wrinkled in worry "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," the Doctor waved him off "Don't keep on looking upon me as the weakest link of the party."

Barbara flinched back when she saw something moving in the bushes, causing Ian to grab a hold of her "What's the matter?"

She shook her head "I don't know. I saw something. Over there in the bushes."

"What nonsense," the Doctor sighed.

Barbara looked at him in annoyance "The bushes moved. I saw them. I saw them. Oh, we're never going to get out of this awful place. Never. Never. Never."

"Barbara."

"What do you think it could have been, grandfather?" Susan asked, looking up at the old man curiously.

The Doctor scoffed lightly "Oh, sheer nonsense, child. Imagination."

"We'll die in this place," Barbara breathed, her body shaking with the strain.

Ian grabbed her shoulders and shook her "Barbara, no we won't. We're going to get back to the ship and we'll be safe."

"Oh, Ian," she sobbed "What's happening to us?"

Ian closed his eyes for a moment "Look, we got out of the cave, didn't we?"

Susan shivered, moving closer to the Doctor "I'm so cold."

"I'm hot with all this exertion," the Doctor grumbled.

"We'll rest for a couple of minutes," Ian sighed.

Susan let out a small breath "Oh, good." She looked at the others hesitatingly "Is there any chance of them following us?"

"I expect so," the Doctor nodded.

"Yes," Ian agreed "That's why I don't want to stop here too long."

The Doctor glared at him "Do you think I want to?"

"No," Ian told him before he had an idea "We'll change the order. You and Susan go in front, Barbara and I'll bring up the rear. Susan seems to remember the way better than any of us."

"You seem to have elected yourself leader of this little party," the Doctor shot back, his eyes narrowing.

Ian rolled his eyes "There isn't time to vote on it."

"Just so long as you understand I won't follow orders blindly," the Doctor shrugged.

"If there were only two of us, you could find your own way back to the ship," Ian pressed out through gritted teeth.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows "Aren't you a tiresome young man."

"And you're a stubborn old man," Ian muttered "But you will lead, the girls between and I'll bring up the rear. Because that's the safest way. Barbara was probably right. I thought we heard something when we stopped back there."

"Oh, sheer imagination," the Doctor waved off.

Ian frowned "Why are you so confident about it?"

The Doctor turned his back on him "I won't allow myself to be frightened out of my wits by mere shadows, that's all."

"Alright," Ian shrugged, looking around to make sure there was nothing around at the moment "I think we'd better get going. Doctor, will you lead?"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes," the Doctor nodded.

Susan spoke up hesitantly "What about Tyra? What if she isn't there when we reach the Tardis?"

"Well, we can't go looking for her," Ian pointed out "The tribe would find us before we could even start. If she has stayed out of their grasp so far, I imagine she can take care of herself."

"That doesn't mean that we'll leave her behind," Susan exclaimed and startled when Barbara let out a scream and fell. Susan looked at the ground in confusion "A dead animal."

The Doctor leaned forward "It must have just been killed. By a larger animal, too."

Ian held up his hand when he heard noises and footsteps coming closer "Shush. Shush. That must be them. They followed us. Quick, quick. Over there." The group of four jumped into the bushes, hiding "Keep it down and not a sound."

A large animal jumped out of the bushes on the other side of where they were hiding, attacking Za who had stopped to inspect the boar. He let out a scream. The predator stood over him, ready to bite into his throat when a whistle sounded from further in the woods, causing it to run off.

"Quick," Ian breathed "Now's our chance. Let's get away. Run!"

Barbara grabbed his arm "Look at them," she whispered "We can't just leave them. I don't care what they've done."

"Barbara," Ian groaned, tugging at her arm "Come on."

Susan turned to the Doctor "That whistle, did you hear?"

He nodded, squinting at the trees in hopes of catching sight of something "Indeed, Susan, I did."

"Do you think that was Tyra?"

"I don't know," he admitted, looking at the two teachers who had stepped closer to the wounded man and the woman who was kneeling over him. The Doctor grabbed Susan's arm "You stay here with me."

Susan shook her head and ripped her arm away "No, grandfather. We can't leave them."

"Silence. We're going back to the ship."

"No," Susan snapped, hurrying over to her teachers.

The Doctor looked at the three of them incredulously "What are you doing?" He shook his head and muttered to himself "They must be out of their minds."

Hur bared her teeth at the strangers when they came closer "No, keep away."

"Let me look at him," Ian offered, holding up his hands.

"No," she shook her head.

Ian crouched down close to the woman "I am your friend. You understand? Friend. I want to help him."

Hur looked at him and relaxed a little "Friend?"

"I want water," Ian told her.

Hur tilted her head "Water."

"Go and fetch some water for his wounds," Ian repeated.

"Water is there," Hur said, pointing to the side.

Barbara stepped in that direction before she turned back "Please, show me." She glanced at Ian "Give me your handkerchief."

Ian held it out to her "Here you are."

Susan stepped a couple of steps closer, hesitating before she knelt down next to Ian "Is he alright?"

"I think so," Ian nodded "He was lucky that the animal ran off." Barbara came back, handing over the wet handkerchief "Thank you."

Hur watched as the two strangers bathed Za's wounds, letting out a sound of surprise when the water came out of the cloth "Water comes out of the skin."

"Yes," Ian smiled, slightly amused at her wonder "I think most of this is the boar's blood."

Susan glanced at the boar the man had fallen on and grimaced "Good."

"Well, we've lost our chance of getting away," Ian sighed and looked over at Barbara fondly "Your flat must be littered with stray cats and dogs."

"There are human beings, Ian," she huffed, crossing her arms.

Ian sighed "Yes, I know."

The Doctor regarded them in wonder "What exactly do you think you're doing?"

"Have you got any antiseptic in the ship?" Ian asked.

Susan nodded "Yes, lots."

"One minute ago, we were trying to desperately to get away from these savages," the Doctor pointed out.

"Alright," Ian shrugged "Now we're helping them. You're a doctor. Do something."

The Doctor held up his hands "I'm not a doctor of medicine."

Susan tilted her head at him "Grandfather, we can make friends with them."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, child," the Doctor sighed, shaking his head.

"Why?" Barbara demanded "You treat everybody and everything as something less important than yourself. The only time I have seen you be somewhat nice to someone from the beginning was Tyra."

The Doctor crossed his arms "You're trying to say that everything you do is reasonable and everything I do is inhuman. Well, I'm afraid your judgement's at fault, Ms Wright, not mine." He gestured to the man and the woman "Haven't you realised if these two people can follow us, any of these people can follow us? The whole tribe might descend upon us at any moment."

"The tribe is asleep," Hur spoke up.

"And what about the old woman who cut our bonds?" the Doctor asked "You understand?"

Ian sighed and ran a hand through his hair "He's right. We're too exposed here. We'll make a stretcher and carry him."

"You're not going to take him back to the ship?" the Doctor gaped in surprise.

"Take your coat off, Barbara," Ian commanded, ignoring the Doctor "Susan, try and find two poles. Long ones, fairly straight."

Barbara shrugged off her coat "The old woman won't give us away," she pointed out "She helped."

"Do you think so?" the Doctor demanded quietly "These people have logic and reason, have they? Can't you see their minds change as rapidly as night and day? She's probably telling the whole tribe at this very moment."

* * *

"Over here," Tyra called out quietly, startling Susan.

She whirled around "Tyra," she exclaimed, holding herself up with the help of one of the trees "Where have you been?"

"Oh, you know," Tyra waved off "Around. I found you some wood for the stretcher."

Susan raised her eyebrow "How…"

"Not now," Tyra shook her head "Go back now. I'll be right behind you. There's something I have to take care of before that, alright?"

"What do you mean?" Susan asked.

Tyra grabbed her shoulders "I'll tell you later, alright? I have quite the story for you but for now, I have to finish something."

Susan studied her for a moment before she nodded, grabbing the poles "Be careful."

"You too."

* * *

"It's not going to work like this," Ian shook his head with a sigh "What can we do?"

Hur leaned over Za before they could move him "No. He's mine."

Susan held up her hands "I was only trying to help."

Ian put his hand on her arm "She doesn't understand, Susan. She's jealous of you."

"I don't understand what you're doing," Hur shook her head "You're like a mother with a child. Why do you not kill?"

Ian chewed on his lip "How can we explain to her? She doesn't understand kindness, friendship."

"We will make him well again," Barbara told him "We will teach you how to make fire. In return, you show us the way back to our cave."

"Listen to them," Za groaned, barely conscious "They do not kill."

Ian moved the stretcher closer "Come on. Let's get on with this stretcher. Let's try the sleeves inside. That's it."

"Water," Za rasped.

Hur looked at the strangers "Water."

Ian shot the Doctor a look "How about giving us a hand, Doctor?"

"He's always like this if he doesn't get his own way," Susan explained and turned to face the Doctor "By the way, I saw Tyra in the forest."

The Doctor's eyebrows shot up "Where is she?"

"I don't know," Susan frowned "She said that there was something she had to take care of first."

"The old woman won't give us away," Barbara huffed at the Doctor "And now that we've got these two on our side, we should get back to the ship."

Susan nodded "Yes."

The Doctor picked up a stone and went to turn to the injured man when Ian grabbed his arm "Get your hand off me," he snapped.

"What are you doing?" Ian demanded quietly.

"Well, I – I was going to get him to draw our way back to the Tardis," the Doctor stuttered lightly.

Ian tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at the man, trying not to think of his actions too much "We've been too long as it is. Is the stretcher ready?"

"Yes," Barbara nodded.

Ian moved over to it "Right, you take one end of it."

The Doctor snorted "You don't expect me to carry him, do you?"

"Do you want the women to do the job for you?" Ian taunted.

The Doctor gritted his teeth before he let out a defeated sigh "Oh, very well."

"Right," Ian spoke up, helping to turn Za on his side "Now move him back over very carefully. Gently." Za let out a pained groan once he was on the stretcher "Good. Right, now, Susan, you get in front with her."

* * *

As soon as they were gone, Tyra grabbed a hold of the dead boar and ran to where the small family was waiting for her. She sat down next to the cubs, getting blinked at by three pairs of eyes "I see you woke up," she grinned, scratching the smallest cub's ear.

The mother sabretooth started ripping into the boar, ripping off small chunks of meat for the pups. Tyra reached over to grab a couple of them, holding them out to the smallest cub. It purred, gobbling up the food as quickly as it could. Tyra let out a small laugh "Well, someone is starving," she murmured, absentmindedly petting the baby's head.

She couldn't help the smile on her face, watching the small family of predators interacting with each other. The cubs were lucky as anything to have a mother who cared about them as much as she did. She let out a small snort. Here she was, jealous of an extinct species because they had a family that actually helped each other. Not that her siblings weren't there for each other… Actually, she really could do without seeing Niklaus or Elijah anytime soon. While it had been half a century since she last saw them, she was still mad.

The whole daggering thing that Niklaus had going on had gotten on her nerves. Yes, she had provoked him more than once because she wanted to get daggered but neither Kol nor Finn deserved to be locked in coffins.

After the last time, Klaus had promised them that they would live as a family in New Orleans. Of course, he hadn't included Finn in his notion and that was what had made her doubt his words. She had begged and pleaded with Kol to come with her but he had believed it – had wanted to give their brothers one more chance to prove themselves and it had gotten him daggered again. When she had gotten news of Kol's new home barely ten years after she left, she ran without looking back. It had been close to sixty years since she stayed in a place for more than half a year.

Meeting the Doctor has been a blessing in disguise. She had been close to moving on again but this? This was everything she could have dreamed of and more. She was seeing things she never had the chance to see. Aliens, science and time travel. Things of fiction. Then again, she was a thing of fiction as well. That was the reason she never had a problem in believing the unbelievable. If there were werewolves, vampires and witches, then why wouldn't aliens be real?

Tyra flinched when something jumped on her. She looked down to see the cubs all trying to climb into her lap at the same time "What are you doing?" she laughed, running her hand through their fur before she sighed. She was wondering how long this would last. How long would the Doctor want her around before he either got sick of her or threw her out because of what she was?

Being a vampire had always been more trouble than it was worth. She loved it… sometimes but other times it was a curse. Creating chaos and mischief was something both she and Kol were good at but sometimes even that felt like a chore. It had been almost a thousand years since Tyra had been really happy. Oh, she pretended and pretended well but that didn't mean that it meant anything. Not to her. This was her chance at experiencing things she has never seen before and she would be damned if she messed it up.

"I should go to the others," she sighed, getting up from the ground. Her back popped lightly when she straightened up "Are you coming with me?" The sabretooth cubs jumped up and jumped up at Tyra, trying to climb up her legs "I'll take that as a yes. Come on, then."

* * *

Ian was putting together the ingredients of a campfire while Susan went to find him a stone "I think this is what you want, Mr Chesterton."

"Thank you," Ian smiled at her.

Barbara knelt down next to them "Here are some leaves and some dead grass."

Outside, Tyra snuck closer to the cave, seeing the entrance that had the stone in front of it while a couple of guards were posted at the other one. The guards shouldn't be a problem. They would be compelled easily but maybe the stone would be easier to move. It was further away from the entrance of the cave the tribe was in.

She hushed the sabretooth cubs "Stay here," she whispered to them, placing them down next to their mother "I'll be right back." With that, she flashed to the men outside the cave, compelling them to stay quiet and keep the people away from the cave. She debated on whether to try and snack on one of them but decided against it. She had to get the others out before anyone came out to check on them.

A yelp made her look up, flashing back to her hiding place to pick up two of the cubs "I told you to stay quiet," she laughed quietly, scratching their necks. The third let out a small sound, jumping at her back. Tyra almost dropped the other two, when trying to keep her balance "Careful. Hold on." She helped it onto her shoulder before picking the others back up.

"You ready to leave?" Tyra asked into the cave once the stone was moved.

The group whirled around "How did you?" Ian started, looking from Tyra to the stone and back.

"And what are you holding?" the Doctor added, getting up from the ground.

Tyra looked at the Doctor sheepishly when the group stepped out of the cave they had been locked in "I seem to have found a... a kitty. Or several. Although with the way it acts puppy might be more appropriate?" She scratched the baby sabretooths' heads lightly while the third was precariously balancing on her shoulders.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her before glancing down at the small animal in her arms. He did a double-take, blinking rapidly "Is that – are those sabretooth tigers?"

"Maybe?" Tyra grinned and cooed a little as one of the two in her arms yawned widely "It's so cute." She heard rustling behind her, knowing that it was the babies' mother coming to take them back.

"Tyra," the Doctor started, his eyes wide at the fully-grown tiger behind the vampire. He was about to warn her when she looked down, rubbing at the sabretooth's head affectionately.

Ian and Barbara looked at Tyra with pale faces, their mouths opening and closing while Susan took a couple of hesitant steps closer "They really are cute."

"Aren't they?" Tyra asked, putting the babies down on the ground. Just as she was about to straighten up, the mother sabretooth licked her face from chin to hairline. Tyra let out a squawk of protest "Gross… extinct animal slobber."

Ian seemed to find his voice "You have a sabretooth's teeth this close to your face and you complain about the slobber?" he asked as if questioning her judgement.

"Don't forget the breath," Tyra grimaced, wiping at her face with the sleeve of her sweatshirt "It's worse than dog breath…"

"You…" Barbara started.

The Doctor cut her off "Only you would befriend a prehistoric predator," he mumbled, shaking his head "How did you find it anyway?"

Tyra shrugged "She tried to attack me, so I fought back. She followed me, I followed her, saved the babies and now they won't leave me alone."

"How?" Susan asked.

"I have no idea," Tyra told her sheepishly "I wasn't trying to get a shadow… Or several."

The Doctor sighed tiredly. Maybe an original vampire on board was asking for trouble but he couldn't help the amusement at her honest bewilderment at the situation "You're not taking them, though. I hope you know that."

Tyra looked up at him with pleading eyes "Why not?" she asked before realising where they were and that while she had compelled the guards, the others could still potentially hear them "Never mind. Maybe this is the time for a strategic retreat before the big bad cave people find us?"

"I rather think that is a sensible idea," Barbara agreed, looking slightly pained when her gaze caught the sabretooth standing next to Tyra protectively.

The group reached the Tardis without anyone realising they were gone and just as they were about to enter, the Doctor whirled around to face Tyra. He pointed at her before nodding to the tiger and her cubs "No prehistoric animals in my Tardis," he told her seriously.

Tyra pouted for a moment before a smirk crossed her face. He said no prehistoric animals… She could work with that.

The Doctor suppressed a sigh when he saw the smirk but let it go. He was tired and this wasn't an argument he would get into at the moment "Just… Tell them to go, would you?"

"Fine," she sighed and petted the sabretooth and the cubs one last time before she followed the others into the Tardis.

As soon as they were all inside, Ian turned to the Doctor "Come on, Doctor, get us off. Get us off."

"Yes," the Doctor nodded and set the Tardis in motion "Yes, it's matching up."

Susan looked over at the console "We're beginning to land.

The Doctor smiled wryly "Oh, how I wish."

"Have you taken us back to our own time?" Ian asked.

"You know I can't do that," the Doctor pointed out "Please be reasonable."

Ian stiffened "What?"

Barbara chewed on her lip "Please, you must take us back. You must."

"You see, this isn't operating properly," the Doctor explained, gesturing to the console "Or rather, the code is still a secret. When you put the right data, precise information to a second of the beginning of a journey, then we can fix a destination but I had no data at my disposal."

Barbara frowned at his explanation "Are you saying that you don't know how to work this thing?"

The Doctor huffed "Well, of course, I can't. I'm not a miracle worker."

"Wait… If you don't know how to work this… Did you steal it?" Tyra asked.

"I borrowed her," the Doctor defended himself.

Tyra smirked at him "Borrowing implies that you plan on giving it back. Don't worry though. Even if you steal your Tardis… I approve."

"Why thank you," the Doctor coughed.

"You can't blame grandfather," Susan told them "We left the other place too quickly, that's all."

Ian raised his eyebrows "Just a minute. Did you try and take us back to our own time?"

"Well, I got you away from that other time, didn't I?" the Doctor avoided the question.

"That isn't what I asked you," Ian pointed.

The Doctor grimaced "It's the only way I can answer you, young man." He turned a couple of buttons and turned to the monitor "Now, we shall see."

"Really strange trees," Tyra hummed with a yawn "How fascinating."

"It could be anywhere," the Doctor mumbled to himself "Dear, dear, dear, dear. It's no help to us at all." He shrugged and pointed over his shoulder to the hallway "Well, I suggest before we go outside and explore, let us clean ourselves up."

Susan jumped at the chance "Oh, yes."

She grabbed Tyra's arm and went to drag her off when the Doctor stopped them "What does the radiation read, Susan?"

"It's reading normal, grandfather," Susan told him, hurrying off "Come on. I'll show you the wardrobe and then we can go and find you a room."


	2. The Daleks Part 1

_Then_

_"Really strange trees," Tyra hummed with a yawn "How fascinating."_

_"It could be anywhere," the Doctor mumbled to himself "Dear, dear, dear, dear. It's no help to us at all." He shrugged and pointed over his shoulder to the hallway "Well, I suggest before we go outside and explore, let us clean ourselves up."_

_Susan jumped at the chance "Oh, yes."_

_She grabbed Tyra's arm and went to drag her off when the Doctor stopped them "What does the radiation read, Susan?"_

_"It's reading normal, grandfather," Susan told him, hurrying off "Come on. I'll show you the wardrobe and then we can go and find you a room."_

Now

“There’s been a forest fire,” Barbara murmured, looking around “Everything’s sort of white and ashen.”

Ian frowned “Funny mist.”

“The heat must have been indescribable,” the Doctor murmured “Look at the soil here. Look at it. It’s all turned to sand and ashes. Extraordinary. How can shrubs or trees grow in soil like that, hmm?”

Tyra touched one of the trees, her eyebrows shooting up at the feeling “Maybe they didn’t. Doctor, touch this.”

“What is it?” he asked, coming over to stand next to the girl.

Ian tilted his head “Something else that’s strange. There’s quite a breeze blowing.”

“Well?” Susan asked, unsure of where he was going with that.

“The branches aren’t moving,” Tyra told her, reaching out to touch the branch above her head. She jumped back when it broke immediately, falling down where she had been standing a moment ago “It’s stone.”

The Doctor hummed “It’s more than that. It’s petrified. How fascinating. A petrified jungle. Hm. Extraordinary. Yes, I must really investigate that. Couldn’t have been heat, then, and age would merely decay.”

“What could have caused it, grandfather?” Susan asked.

The Doctor shook his head “I don’t know. I don’t know but I intend to find out.”

“So… How do you plan on doing that, then?” Tyra asked, getting up from where she had been examining the fallen branch and the shrub next to her. She hurried after the Doctor when he started walking off “Come on. Tell me.”

“I want to know too,” Susan pointed out from next to Tyra.

Tyra studied her surroundings as they walked on. Something was wrong. She could feel it. There was something in the air, in the forest “Susan? What do you want to bet that there’s going to be trouble again?”

Susan let out a small snort “Well, after last time, I certainly hope that nothing will happen.”

“Do you really believe that, though?” Tyra questioned curiously. She was all for trouble. Without trouble, life would be boring. She had no idea how the Doctor’s trips had turned out up until now but from what she had seen, trouble definitely seemed to favour him. It was almost like this was the perfect place for her. With the Doctor, getting in trouble and helping him out of it. Of course, she wasn’t sure whether it would continue to be like this but… Even if it would, she wouldn’t mind.

“Oh grandfather, look,” Susan exclaimed, rushing to kneel next to one of the trees in front of them “It’s a flower. A perfect flower.” She reached out carefully “Well, it’s even kept some of its colours.”

The Doctor didn’t even glance down, instead opting to focus on what he had been studying before “Yes, very pretty, very pretty. Hm.”

Susan rolled her eyes fondly before turning to the two teachers that had rejoined them “Hey, look. Look what I’ve found.”

“Oh, that is beautiful,” Ian breathed, leaning over Susan’s shoulder to examine the flower closer.

“Isn’t it?” Susan grinned “I’m going to try and pick it and keep it all in one piece.”

Ian patted her shoulder “Be careful. It’ll be very fragile.” He stopped Susan’s hands, taking a hold of the flower carefully, lifting it up.

Tyra looked over at Barbara when she heard her heartbeat jump “Are you alright?”

“Ian,” she cried out, her finger pointing at something “Ian.”

Tyra moved forward “Wicked,” she breathed, her eyes lighting up at the sight. There on the stone was a petrified lizard. It looked so realistic and metal. As if it had been alive one moment and the next… not.

“Coming, coming,” Ian assured her “What it is? What’s the matter?”

Barbara pointed at the lizard “No.”

“Calm down,” Tyra grumbled “It’s not like it’s actually still alive. Plus, it’s kind of cute… Even if it is stone.”

The Doctor turned around as soon as he heard Tyra speak “Tyra, no.”

“Tyra, yes,” she shot back “Can’t I think that it’s cute? It is.”

“It’s hideous,” Barbara breathed.

Tyra tilted her head “Really? I think it has a certain… charm about it.”

“Charm?” Barbara demanded, looking at Tyra as if she lost it “It looks like some sculptor’s nightmare.”

“Barbara is right,” Ian spoke up “Nothing on Earth could look like this.”

The Doctor nodded “Yes, it’s certainly alien to anything on your planet. But you’re wrong about one thing, Chesterfield. This isn’t like everything else. The animal is solidified, certainly but it’s not crumbly stone. It’s metal. It always was.”

“What?” Ian frowned “Even when it was alive? But that’s impossible.”

“Why?” the Doctor questioned “Can’t you imagine an animal unless it’s flesh, blood and bone, hm? No, I tell you this is an entirely different formation. I should say originally it was some pliable metal held together by a magnetic field or an inner magnetic field, rather, and it may have had the ability to attract its victims towards it if they were metal too.”

“How did that work?” Tyra asked him curiously, her mind already working overtime in trying to think of what that meant for this planet “I mean… Did it have to eat? Was it feeding on the power sources of the animals it lured it? How did it even hold together? Was it built or was it living in the sense that it could actually procreate? There are so many questions and equations here…”

Barbara shot her a look “Is that really important now? We should figure out where we are.”

“Yes, it is imp…”

Ian cut her off “So, that means we’re not on Earth?”

“No, certainly not,” the Doctor shook his head.

“Are you sure?” Ian asked, trying not to freak out. The past was one thing but an alien planet with alien trees and alien animals made out of metal was another thing altogether.

The Doctor nodded, a small grin on his face at the man’s reaction “Oh, certain. And you needn’t look at me like that, young man. We started this journey far too hurriedly to make any calculations. You know that as well as I do. However, we’re alive.”

Tyra coughed “Congratulations. Do you want a medal for that?”

“Hey, grandfather, look,” Susan called out from somewhere behind them “The jungle ends over there.” The Doctor’s face lit up as he hurried off to where Susan was standing.

Ian rolled his eyes “Try not to be too upset,” he muttered to himself before walking after him.

“You know that this would be easier if you just accepted it, right?” Tyra asked, raising her eyebrow at the two teachers “I get that you want to go home but technically… It’s your own fault that you’re here now. If you had let things go then you wouldn’t be here.”

“And you’re so much better?” Barbara snapped “I don’t get you. You’re not the least bit surprised by all of this. Shouldn’t you be freaking out as much as the rest of us? And then that sabretooth tiger. How did you do that?”

Tyra crossed her arms “Why would I tell you?” she asked calmly, suppressing the smirk when the woman got redder and redder in the face “I told you before that I don’t really care if you like me or not but once again. I am an adult, whether you understand that or not. I do understand that you aren’t happy with the Doctor or what he did but how about you see this whole thing as a chance?”

“A chance?” Ian scoffed.

“A chance to see what’s out there,” Tyra explained “Aren’t you the least bit curious?”

Barbara grimaced “We nearly died once already. I just want to go home.”

Tyra shook her head in exasperation “Okay, let’s say he does bring you back home, then what? You go back to teaching, forget everything ever happened to you. You live a miserable life, trying to get noticed in a system that really doesn’t care.”

“You’re very pessimistic, aren’t you?” Ian grinned lightly. He wasn’t necessarily happy about all of this but he could admit that Tyra had a point. While he didn’t understand much of what was going on around him or even like the Doctor much, he could see the appeal. No other Human in their time had travelled the stars. Hell, he wasn’t even sure how it was possible at all but it was probably better than to question it. Not like he understood much of what the Doctor and Tyra had talked about before.

Tyra shrugged “You call it pessimistic, I call it being realistic. Normal people like you don’t normally get to live on when you die. Maybe your family if you’re going to have any children but other than that… You want to go back to your normal, boring lives after seeing what you did. Ms Wright, you’re a History teacher. Don’t you want to see and experience it for yourself? Trust me, it’s even better than you think and who knows… You might even learn something.” She turned to Ian “And you. Science has evolved so much in just a few years… Wouldn’t it be interesting to get a sneak peek of how it could be? You already saw that not-so-living-anymore metal lizard. What else is out there?”

Ian sighed “I suppose it would be interesting to see.”

“Ian,” Barbara exclaimed.

“What?” he asked defensively “You can’t say that she doesn’t have a point.”

Barbara shook her head “I counted so much on just going back to things I recognise and trust. But here there’s nothing to rely on. Nothing.”

Tyra closed her eyes for a moment before her voice softened “You have him.” She gestured to Ian “I would say that you have me and Susan as well but I don’t know how much of a comfort that would be.”

Barbara let out a short laugh “I wish I was more like all of you. I’m afraid I’m a very unwilling adventurer.”

“It’s never too late to learn to enjoy things, you know?” Tyra pointed out.

“I have a question though,” Barbara spoke up, her smile turning thoughtful “What about your family? You have never mentioned them once since I’ve known you and I don’t understand why. You’re so young…”

Tyra’s expression went blank “There’s a very good reason for that,” she murmured softly. She shook her head, hiding how she really felt about the question “Anyway, we should go find the Doctor and Susan before they get themselves into any trouble. I don’t wanna miss out the fun this time around. Always wanted to get into a fight with a caveman.”

“Fun she says,” Ian snorted, shaking his head. He was about to follow her when Barbara caught his arm “What is it?”

“What do you think happened?” Barbara asked, her eyes following the girl “To her family, I mean.”

Ian ran a hand through his hair “I don’t know. A part of me is dreading the answer. Did you see her reaction to you mentioning them? But I can tell you one thing. She won’t be talking about it anytime soon. Not that we have given her much reason to talk to us.”

Barbara nodded hesitatingly “I suppose you’re right.”

They looked up when they saw Susan “Grandfather’s talking about fixing our position by the stars,” she pointed out, watching the two adults curiously. She had seen Tyra on her way back here and she looked as if she was ready to burst out crying. Either that or murder something. Whatever they had been talking about, Tyra hadn’t liked it…

“Good,” Ian exclaimed “Where is he?”

Susan gestured over her shoulder “Just over there.” She hesitated for a moment before she tilted her head “What happened here?”

Ian blinked “What do you mean?”

“With Tyra,” Susan elaborated.

“Nothing, Susan,” Ian smiled at the girl reassuringly “She was simply telling us some home truths.”

Susan nodded uncertainly and went to turn around when Barbara spoke up “Susan. Don’t you have anything in the ship that records the journeys?”

“Oh, yes,” Susan nodded, leading the two adults to where she had left the Doctor “There’s a meter fixed to a great bank of computers. If you feed it with the right sort of information, it can take over the controls of the ship and deliver you to any place you want to go.”

Barbara raised her eyebrow “Then why don’t we know where we are?”

“Well,” Susan murmured, slightly embarrassed “It’s a question of the right information, you see. I don’t say that grandfather doesn’t know how to work the shit but he’s so forgetful and then he will go off and… Well, he likes to work on his own.”

“So I’ve noticed,” the woman grumbled.

Susan’s smiled dropped before it was back “Anyway, he’s only got to do some computations back in the ship and we can move on.”

Barbara hummed in understanding “Well, it can’t be too soon for me.”

“Well now,” the Doctor clapped his hands, looking at the rest of the group “Are we ready?”

“Oh, Doctor, have you worked out yet how all this happened?” Barbara asked.

The Doctor shook his head “No, not really, not really.” He let out an annoyed sigh “Whatever it was destroyed everything that was living but the planet is dead, totally dead.”

“Barbara, Doctor. Over here,” Ian called out. He tilted his head up at Tyra “Why didn’t you tell them?”

She gazed off into the distance and shrugged “They were bound to find out sooner or later and here you are.”

“Are you – Are you alright?” Ian inquired unsurely.

Tyra shot him a look “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I just thought…”

“I don’t care,” Tyra cut him off “I’m fine but I would appreciate it if you didn’t bring up my family in the future.” Her gaze trailed to Barbara “Either of you. It’s none of your business.”

The Doctor moved closer, his view being blocked by Barbara and several rocks “What is it, Chesterton? We really must get back to…” He trailed off, looking at the city that was clearly visible across the plain “Fascinating.”

“A city,” Barbara exclaimed in wonder when she caught sight of what he had seen “A huge city.”

The Doctor put on a pair of binocular glasses and squinted at the city in the distance. Ian turned to face the other man “Well, Doctor? Can you see anything? Any sign of life?”

“No, no,” the Doctor shook his head “No sign of life. Just buildings. Magnificent buildings…”

Susan reached out to grab the glasses from him “Oh, let me have a look.” She let out a gasp when she could finally see the city more clearly “It’s fabulous. Here, you have a look.” She handed the glasses to Barbara.

Ian squinted into the distance before accepting the glasses when Barbara handed them over “What do you think, Doctor?”

“I don’t know,” the Doctor muttered “I don’t know. Whatever it was that destroyed the vegetation here certainly hasn’t damaged the city. But there’s no signs of life. No movement, no light, no… No, I shall know more about it when I’ve been down there.”

Barbara whirled around to face him “Down there? Oh, no. We’re going back to the ship.”

Tyra let out a groan “Really, you should know by now that arguing won’t get you anywhere. I’m sure the Doctor will take you back to the Tardis if you really don’t want to see that city.” She paused before a grimace flashed across her face “When did I become the voice of reason? I don’t like this.”

The Doctor hesitated for a moment before reluctantly nodding his head “I suppose I could take you back to the ship before I investigate that city. And just to make things clear to you. I won’t be leaving until I have thoroughly investigated it.”

Ian rolled his eyes at the man “Well, it’s too late to talk about it now. It’s getting dark. We’ll discuss it when we get back to the ship.”

“Yes,” Susan nodded “Whatever you decide, it’s too late to get down there now.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” the Doctor sighed at their insistence “Alright then. But I assure you, I’m determined to study that place.”

“You can do what you like, as long as you don’t endanger the rest of us,” Ian pointed out.

Tyra shot him an annoyed look. It was like talking to a wall. And here she had thought she actually got somewhere when talking to them earlier “Oh, I don’t mind. Been longing for a good fight.” She looked at the Doctor pleadingly “Please don’t get into trouble without me?”

“You were the one who wandered off last time,” the Doctor pointed out, his lips giving the smallest twitch “And ended up befriending a sabretooth tiger along with some cubs.”

Tyra shrugged “If you’ve got it, flaunt it or whatever that saying is…”

“You’re going to be coming along to the city then?” the Doctor asked.

“Do you even have to ask?” Tyra grinned, bouncing along next to him. She knew that she was annoying Barbara if the looks she was getting were anything to go by but that made her want to continue even more. She never said that she wasn’t a bitch if she wanted to be one… And the other woman’s behaviour was starting to get on her nerves. Yes, the Doctor took them along against their will but she conveniently forgot that she was the one who forced her way into a police box instead of – Oh, calling the actual police.

Ian rolled his eyes at the two of them. They were just as bad as each other “You’re the only one who can operate the ship. I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, Doctor,” he pointed out, turning around to walk back to where they had left the Tardis “I think this is the way we came.”

“It’s not,” Tyra smirked and pointed to the right “That’s the way we came from.”

“Right…” The man blinked in the direction Tyra had pointed in and changed course.

Tyra stopped when she noticed that Susan had bent down to pick another flower “You coming?”

“Yes, yes,” Susan nodded.

“Shh,” Tyra hissed at her all of a sudden, making Susan freeze in her tracks “There’s someone here.”

Susan got up, looking around with wide eyes “Who’s there?” she called out. Tyra shot forward, grabbing the hand that had reached out for Susan before it could make contact. Susan let out a shrill scream when she noticed and as soon as she did, Tyra let the person go.

Ian ran back through the jungle, looking for the two girls. He stopped when he saw Tyra whispering to Susan “Alright, Susan,” he murmured, wrapping her in his arms “It’s alright. You’re safe now.” He glanced over at Tyra “Are you okay?”

“Just fine,” she waved off “It’s Susan who got the bigger scare.”

* * *

“Did Susan tell you what frightened her?” Barbara asked the Doctor, glancing over at the two girls periodically.

The Doctor hummed absentmindedly “Yes, yes. She is convinced that someone tried to touch her. Tyra apparently stopped them before they could. I tried to make her see it wasn’t possible.”

“Did Tyra say anything?”

“No,” he shook his head “I haven’t asked her yet.”

Barbara raised her eyebrow “Maybe you should before you make up your mind about this.”

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably “I was wondering… Would you have a talk with them? I’m afraid they wouldn’t listen to me.”

“Yes, of course, I will,” Barbara nodded, slightly surprised at the request.

“Yes, you know, sometimes I find the gulf between Susan’s age and mine makes difficult understanding between us,” the Doctor admitted reluctantly.

Barbara smiled at him “I’ll see what I can do. At least Tyra is here now too. She is the closest to Susan in age after all.”

The Doctor’s lips twitched in amusement. He knew that Tyra was older than even he was even if her body looked younger than she really was “Of course, she is.”

Barbara shook her head, not even trying to understand the tone the Doctor had taken. She made her way to the table where Susan and Tyra were huddled around a book, talking quietly “Hello.”

“Hello,” Susan murmured, closing the book quickly.

“What are you two doing?” Barbara asked.

Susan shrugged “Just looking at a book.”

“What book?” Barbara asked, leaning over Susan’s shoulder curiously.

“Does it matter?” Tyra asked, crossing her arms. She knew what the woman was trying to do and she wasn’t sure whether she appreciated it.

Barbara sat down in the chair next to Susan, grabbing her hand “What happened out there?”

“Nothing.”

“Well Ian said you were terrified,” she pointed out “Well, something must have frightened you.”

Tyra glanced from Susan to Barbara and sighed “There was a man out in the jungle. He got a little too close for comfort.”

Barbara blinked “You saw who it was?”

“Yes,” Tyra shrugged “It was a man. I didn’t get a good look at him because he left pretty quickly.”

“But grandfather says that it’s impossible for anyone to live out there,” Susan added.

Barbara sent her a sad smile “Oh, Susan, it isn’t that he doesn’t believe you. It’s just that he finds it difficult to go against his scientific facts.”

Tyra snorted “That’s one way of putting it, I assume.”

“Oh, look,” Barbara sighed “Why don’t you just try and forget it for the moment?”

“For the moment,” Susan nodded and got up “I think I’m going to grab you that book I told you about, Tyra.”

“Thanks, Susan,” Tyra smiled “That would be great.”

Barbara turned to Tyra once Susan was gone “What book? And what were you talking about earlier?”

Tyra raised her eyebrows “A bit nosy, aren’t you? It’s none of your business.”

“I…” Barbara broke off, raising one hand to her head “Oh God.”

“Are you okay?” Tyra questioned, tilting her head.

“Yes, yes. It’s just my head,” Barbara murmured, massaging her temples.

Susan had just entered the console room again, a book clutched in her hands “I can give you something for that if you want,” she spoke up quietly, handing the book to Tyra.

“I would appreciate it,” Barbara groaned.

Susan nodded, fetching a glass of water and a vial of headache reliever. She was just putting a couple of drops into the clear liquid when the Doctor and Ian walked over “Oh, what’s the matter?” the Doctor asked, frowning.

“I’ve suddenly got this terrible headache,” Barbara murmured, closing her eyes to stop the light from hurting her head even more.

“Oh, dear, dear, how irksome for you.” He glanced at the vial Susan was holding and nodded “Oh, this stuff is very good. This should cure it. Now, not too much, dear,” he told Susan “Not too much.”

Susan stopped suddenly “No. Oh, grandfather.” She raised her eyes to look up at him “I’m sorry I was so silly just now. Here, try this.”

Barbara accepted the glass of water and took a deep gulp “Thank you. Oh, it’s very nice.”

Ian patted her shoulder “Let’s hope it does you some good.”

The Doctor wandered over to a machine nearby and grabbed some food, nibbling on it when Ian and Barbara joined him, the smell of food making their stomachs rumbling “Oh, did you want something to eat? What would you like?”

“I’d like some bacon and eggs,” Barbara told him, looking at the machine curiously.

Ian hummed “Alright, bacon and eggs.”

“Bacon and eggs,” the Doctor nodded, grabbing the manual from the top of the machine.

“But…”

Susan stepped up next to Ian “This is fully automatic.”

“Yes, certainly, certainly,” the Doctor hummed, leafing through it “J62.”

Susan reached out to twist the dials “J62.”

“L6,” the Doctor continued.

“L6,” Susan repeated.

Ian looked at the machine warily “I hope mine doesn’t taste of engine grease.”

The Doctor shot him a withering look “Now, now, now, don’t be ridiculous.”

“Shall I get plates and things?” Barbara asked.

“No, there’s no need to,” Susan shook her head. The Doctor took two blocks out of the dispensing slot and held them out. Susan nodded at them “Bacon and eggs.”

Ian raised his eyebrow in disbelief “What, this?”

“Go on, try it,” Susan urged.

The two teachers unwrapped the blocks and took a small, hesitant bite “Well?” the Doctor asked.

“Mm. Not bad,” Ian shrugged “What do you think, Barbara?”

“I think it’s delicious,” she mumbled, taking a bigger bite.

Ian nodded before he tilted his head “My bacon’s a bit salty.”

“It shouldn’t be,” the Doctor pointed out “It’s English.”

“No, seriously, Doctor, this is remarkable,” Ian told him “I mean, one bit and I taste the bacon, another and I taste the egg. How do you do it?”

The Doctor shrugged “Food has component parts, dear boy. Flavours are rather like primary colours, you know. You blend two to achieve a third, a fourth, etc, etc.”

“Well, I think it’s wonderful,” Ian remarked.

Susan turned to look at Barbara “How’s your headache now?”

“Oh, it’s much better,” she replied “I don’t usually get them at all.”

“Susan, Tyra, would you like something to eat?”

Susan shook her head “No, thanks. I’m not hungry.”

The Doctor frowned at her in concern “Oh, child, that’s unusual. I do hope your effects outside the ship haven’t affected you too much?”

“No.” She got up “I think I’ll go to bed now, anyway.”

“Right,” the Doctor nodded.

“Do you want to know where you can sleep, Miss Wright?” Susan asked.

Barbara’s face showed relief “Oh, yes.”

“So, food?” the Doctor asked, looking at Tyra.

She hesitated for a moment before she nodded “I think I’m going to need… Well, you know.”

The Doctor’s face smoothed out “Oh, right. Certainly. I think… I think it should be possible.” He leafed through the book before turning the dials “I do hope it will taste satisfactory.”

Tyra nibbled at the block and grimaced “I – Okay, this is…” She took another bite, feeling the blood settle in her stomach “It could be worse.”

“I think we might be able to find another way,” the Doctor pointed out, patting the girl’s shoulder “Remind me the next time we’re on Earth.”

“Sure,” Tyra nodded, finishing off the block with another grimace. The more she ate, the worse it tasted but she couldn’t deny that at least she didn’t feel the need to bite anyone who annoyed her anymore.

Ian was about to open his mouth to question them when a tapping sound echoed through the console room “What’s that?”

“The scanner,” the Doctor murmured.

Susan hurried over “There was somebody there.” She looked at the scanner with a frown when it didn’t show anything.

“Nothing,” Ian shook his head “Not a thing.”

“But something must have made that noise,” Susan pointed out.

Barbara let out a strangled noise “Look, I’ve had enough of this. Please, can’t we get out of here?”

“Ah, but the city,” the Doctor pouted “I must see the city.”

“But why?” Barbara demanded.

He shot her a glare, muttering to himself “I will not be questioned. Uninvited passengers. I didn’t invite them to the ship. I shall do what I want to do.”

Ian crossed his arms “Why endanger the rest of us by staying here?”

“Grandfather, please. Please,” Susan whispered.

The Doctor sighed and set the Tardis going. When the others turned away, he quickly ducked under the console to remove something. Tyra raised her eyebrow when he reappeared. He gestured for her to be quiet when the Tardis started shaking.

“What’s the matter?” Susan asked, looking around.

The Doctor frowned “I don’t know,” he lied “The power take-up was rising normally and…”

“What’s wrong?” Ian asked, stepping closer to the Doctor.

“Oh, don’t distract me, please,” the Doctor grumbled.

Susan walked around the console “Shall I trace it on the fault locator, grandfather?”

The Doctor hummed “Yes, I think you’d better, child.”

“K7,” Susan read, looking over the printout.

“K7?” the Doctor asked “Ah yes, of course, the fluid link.” He ducked under the console and reached into his pocket to grab the piece he had removed earlier “Yes, there we are. The end of it has unscrewed itself and the fluid has run out.”

Ian looked over at him “Have you got a spare?”

The Doctor shook his head “Oh, no, no need for that. This is easily repaired. All we have to do is refill it.”

“What liquid do you need?” Ian questioned.

“Mercury.”

Ian blinked “Mercury? Can I get it for you?”

The Doctor grimaced “No, I’m afraid you can’t. We haven’t any at all.”

“What?”

“No.”

“Don’t you carry a supply?” Ian demanded.

The Doctor snorted “No, it hasn’t been necessary. This hasn’t happened before.”

“But you must have some somewhere, surely,” Ian said, waving his hands around desperately.

“No, no. We shall have to get some from outside.”

Barbara ran her hands through her styled hair “But where? There isn’t anything outside because…”

“Yes,” Ian exclaimed “There’s the city.”

The Doctor barely stopped his smug smirk from showing “Yes, the city, of course.” He hit his head as if chastising himself for not thinking about it before “Of course we’re bound to get some mercury there. Yes, we’re bound to. Well, I mean, what else can we do, hmm?”

“It seems we have no alternative,” Ian sighed “We have to go to the city.”

“Yes, indeed,” the Doctor nodded, ignoring Tyra’s knowing look “At first light, then?”

* * *

The next day, they were all gathered in the console room “Well, it’s light enough and there doesn’t seem to be anything out there,” Ian pointed out with a sigh “We might as well get started. Oh, and Doctor. Remember we’re going to this city to find mercury and once we’ve found it, we’re coming straight back here. Is that clear?”

“Oh, quite so. Quite so,” the Doctor nodded, still radiating smugness at his success.

Ian turned around to face the others as soon as they stepped out of the Tardis “Well, shall I lead?”

The Doctor waved his hand “Yes, by all means.”

“Look,” Ian exclaimed, crouching down in front of the curved metal object on the ground.

“Don’t touch it,” Barbara cried out “It might go off.”

Susan nodded in agreement “Be careful.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes with a sigh “What is it, Chesterton?”

“I don’t know,” Ian shook his head, grabbing a long stick “Stand back, all of you.” He prodded it a couple of times before tapping on it “I think it’s alright. A metal box.” He reached out to open it “It’s a box of glass vials. Look.”

“Let me see,” the Doctor held out his hand for the box.

Susan stared at her grandfather accusingly “Then there was somebody here last night. They must have dropped them.” She silently glared at the two men “I knew I was right.”

Ian grimaced apologetically “Yes. Sorry, Susan.”

“Yes, I’d like to run a few tests on those,” the Doctor mused, ignoring the conversation around him. He held the box out for Susan “Susan, would you take these into the ship, please?”

Susan nodded “Yes.”

“Thank you,” the Doctor inclined his head “Oh, and by the way, did you remember the food supplies?”

“Yes,” Susan nodded once again “A day’s supply for five. That’s enough, isn’t it?”

The Doctor hummed, watching Susan hurry back into the Tardis to drop the box off “Yes, ample, ample.”

Ian looked from one to the other “I trust we won’t be more than a couple of hours.” He raised his eyebrows when Susan came back “You ready, Susan?”

“Yes.”

“Come on, then. Off we go,” Ian sighed, turning to walk in front of the group.

* * *

The Doctor leaned against the metal wall almost as soon as they reached the city “Do you mind if I sit down for a minute?” he asked, beads of sweat on his forehead “I feel a bit exhausted.”

Tyra frowned at him, listening to his hearts beating frantically “Everything alright, Doctor?”

“Yes. I’m just a bit tired,” he waved her off “It was a long journey and my legs are rather weak.”

Barbara looked at him, her eyes narrowing “Why don’t you rest here? Ian and I will look around and see if we can…”

“No, no, no, no,” the Doctor cut her off, shaking his head “I want to look around too. I shall be alright, thank you.”

Tyra exchanged an amused look with Susan and rolled her eyes. She turned to the Doctor “You should rest for a moment, Doctor. You don’t look well.”

Ian swallowed heavily “I must say…” he spoke up, blinking back the spots in his vision “I don’t feel too good myself. Look, why don’t we get this over with quickly. Look for instruments, gauges, anything like that. Ideally what we want is a laboratory.”

Barbara grabbed Ian’s hand when a door opened “Ian, look.”

“Why don’t we separate and go different ways and meet back here in say ten minutes. Alright?” Ian asked, looking from one to the other.

“Fine,” Barbara nodded in agreement “I’ll go this way.”

The Doctor pushed away from the wall and held out his hand for Susan “Would you lend me your arm, Susan?” When she immediately moved to his side, he smiled thankfully “Thank you.”

Tyra looked from the Doctor and Susan’s retreating backs to Ian before moving to stand next to the Science teacher as he tried to open the door in front of them. She spied a button by the side of the door and tapped Ian’s shoulder “Here.”

“Ah, thank you, Tyra,” Ian nodded, waving his hand around in front of the sensor, making the door swing open.

They moved further through the door and looked around the corridors for a bit before heading back to where they came from.

“Ah, there you are,” Ian greeted when Susan and the Doctor moved back towards them “Any luck?”

Susan shook her head “No. How about the two of you?”

“No, no luck,” Ian sighed and glanced down at his watch “Barbara should be here by now. Barbara? Barbara. We’ll give her a couple of minutes more and then, if she’s not back we’ll have to go and look for her.” He paced up and down in front of the door while the Doctor slid down the wall tiredly.

Tyra started fiddling with a coin she had found in her pocket, staring off into space. She was listening to any movement close to them but so far there was nothing apart from the noises their group was making.

“We’ve waited long enough for her,” Ian finally decided “We must go and find her.”


End file.
